Frustration over the policies of ardent Trump sycophant and failed Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is leading to a growing field of potential Democratic challengers in the 2022 Governor’s race. “Miami state Sen. Annette Taddeo is expected to jump into the Democratic race for governor Monday,” reports the Herald-Tribune. “Taddeo plans to file her candidacy papers in Tallahassee, a punctuation mark to a summer and early fall spent in private meetings with fellow Democrats and fundraisers. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist of St. Petersburg and state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced their candidacies in May and June, respectively, and have been campaigning heavily since then.”

“Taddeo, 54, was first elected to the Senate in 2017. She also was Crist’s running mate three years earlier when he failed to stop now-U.S. Sen. Rick Scott from winning a second term as governor…Taddeo has not been headline-grabbing as a state senator, but is a reliable advocate for schools, the environment and working-class Floridians—not that different from other Florida Democrats.”

“DeSantis is a big target for Florida Democrats, and for the party nationally. His approval numbers fell sharply after a summer of soaring COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and the governor has divided Floridians over his opposition to school masks and vaccine mandates promoted by the Biden administration and many health experts.”